Michael Phelps dwarfs India

American swimming star Michael Phelps now has the same number of Olympic medals as India. That’s right, Phelps alone has achieved what 1.2 billion Indians put together have. And my bet is that we won’t be able to match Phelps’ 16 Olympic gold medals — the way he is going at London he could add another two to that tally — in our lifetimes. I want to be proved wrong, but I haven’t found a betting man brave enough to take on the odds.

Much has been written about Phelps’ athletic abilities and his unique physical make-up that make him arguably the fastest man in the pool. But what doesn’t get reported often outside sports journals is the US national swimming programme’s ability to spot and groom talent. Right from schools to universities, the American system — through scholarships and other merit-based instruments — ensures that Phelps and others like him can avail of the best of training and guidance. As a result, this might be Phelps’ last Olympics but that certainly won’t draw the curtains on the American prowess in swimming.

But here in India we have to wait for the stars to auspiciously align for a sporting genius to not only grace the playing field but also overcome the hurdles that the system imposes on him. If an Indian athlete achieves a modicum of success it is not because of the system but despite it. This I would like to illustrate through a personal account.

In my younger days I had the luck of winning three national championships in roller skating. In the Indian context, the latter is a small, almost insignificant game. Yet, I witnessed first-hand the kind of politics and nepotism that is endemic to Indian sports. Talent alone is not enough, you need to have the right contacts and be in the good books of the right people. Coaches rarely look for quality and often adopt a paternalistic attitude that is symptomatic of our patronage culture. If this can happen in roller skating, imagine the politics, nepotism and corruption involved in a sport like cricket!

Add to this the breed of vultures that is our sports administrators. Almost every sporting federation in the country is run by a political appointee. Little interests them apart from feathering their nests. Sports body elections often degenerate into political turf wars among people who have practically no idea about the game they seek to govern. How else does one explain the likes of Suresh Kalmadi, Sharad Pawar and Farooq Abdullah heading sports federations?

Apart from cricket where one can hope to achieve some recognition — thanks to the fanatical fan following in the subcontinent — most sports are treated in a step-motherly fashion. The Indian sportsperson is literally at the bottom of the pyramid. And the results are there for all to see.

I will not even bother comparing ourselves to the Chinese with their vastly superior sporting infrastructure and resources. It is almost laughable to think that we can somehow match up to them. So we satisfy ourselves with the consolation bronze or the odd silver, celebrating mediocrity like in every other aspect of Indian life. If sports be a true reflection of a country, Indian sports accurately depicts our venal and decrepit governance structures as well as our chalta hai attitude. Frankly, we don’t deserve any better.